"Bandi" (Netflix), a double-edged opportunity
On May 7th, 2026—less than a month after its release—it was announced that “Bandi” would not be getting a second season…
If it fails, the “Antillean” audience will be blamed for not supporting the first Netflix production filmed in Martinique enough, but what are the validation criteria, and which marketing strategy was applied to meet those criteria? Karukerament, Bandi, an intentional ambiguous marketing?, March 25th 2026
The marketing ambiguity surrounding the series already hinted at Netflix’s decision. The way it was announced was cavalier, but not surprising. If the news was indeed an intentional leak meant to spark public outrage, the only result was to make us look even more like begging amateurs… Instead of letting the local team capitalize on the visibility, negotiate other contracts, and build a fan community, this announcement threw a wrench in their plans for absolutely no reason. But let’s move on—media training isn’t the issue here. After reading the RCI Martinique article, I think it’s important to keep track of the two issues that the “Bandi” case represents. What are the criteria for success from a French perspective? What is our influence in the French audiovisual industry?
Numbers don’t equal success
The enthusiasm on the island and throughout the Caribbean, as well as the results from the first few weeks of viewing, were not enough to convince the platform to continue the venture. - RCI Martinique, May 7th 2026
You can make the numbers say just about anything. It’s not about being number one or ranking in the top 10 in so many countries. It’s about intent and validation criteria. Judging by the marketing, there was no intention to do more (as is the case with most Netflix France series). Nor were the validation criteria (as is the case with most Netflix series).
Even though the series had a very dedicated fan base and made it into the top 10, renewal decisions are based on many other factors, including viewership and long-term engagement, relative to the series’ cost. In other words, do the people who start watching the series stick with it until the end and give it a “double thumbs-up”? - RCI Martinique, 7 mai 2026
So what was the minimum number of valid streams and “thumbs up” the series would have needed to qualify for a second season? No specific validation criteria were provided. In fact, Netflix doesn’t disclose its validation criteria because the ultimate factor is entirely subjective: the desire to produce. It’s as simple as that and makes perfect sense in a capitalist, patriarchal, and supremacist world. When you have the power to act but don’t feel like doing so, you don’t do it [see this interview with Frédéric Garcia, the creator of “Mortel”]. No figures will change the decision. Making people believe the opposite is the system’s way of keeping production going. So what’s the point of citing the return on investment relative to the series’ cost without specifying exactly how much the series cost? Citing the number of streams without revealing the budget gives an incomplete picture of the situation. Generally, Netflix discloses the budget for its series, but that wasn’t the case for “Bandi.”
Nevertheless, if the series had been an exceptionally expensive production, I think we would have heard about it, so we can assume that it fell within the average range for a “small” French drama budget—that is, 6 to 8 million euros for eight episodes. I’d push that up to 10 million euros, taking into account the transformation of the audiovisual sector. In any case, we don’t know what the expected return was, and this lack of clarity prevents us from making a comparison with other Netflix productions. How does it really stack up within the French audiovisual industry?
The WORD doesn't make the show
A spokesperson for the streaming platform described it as “more than just a series—a true cultural milestone that has showcased Martinique’s talent, driven by the vision of Eric and Capucine Rochant and the exceptional dedication of the cast and crew.” “We are extremely proud of Bandi,” Netflix even said. - RCI Martinique, 7 mai 2026
A politically correct statement, that’s for sure. I explained in a podcast episode why “Bandi” wasn’t a Martinican vision. And indeed, history will remember the series as Eric Rochant’s vision above all else… So this venture showcased Martinican talent in execution, but not the creative vision that’s the foundation on which a project gets the green light. Without significant hard data, filmmakers from Martinique (and Guadeloupe) have no room to maneuver when negotiating. To begin with, they had little because the success of Euzhan Palcy’s “Rue Cases-Nègres” is downplayed at every opportunity, and new references like Alain Bidard don’t factor into the conversation. But will “Bandi” be a selling point for a project in France? Everyone tells me it will be, but honestly, I get the impression it will be a reason to reject a “Caribbean” project because it’s already been tried once—why try again when even the Netflix series from the creator of “Le Bureau des Légendes” didn’t achieve exceptional results? And you can define “exceptional” however you like, since the vagueness surrounding the numbers leaves room for speculation about the definition of success. If someone chooses to assign it an insignificant value, there’s nothing you can do about it, but at least you know where that person ranks “Caribbean content” within the industry. How can you trust a filmmaker from Guadeloupe and/or Martinique if even the creator of *Le Bureau des Légendes* couldn’t secure a second season on a “small” budget?
In conclusion, what are the criteria for success from a French perspective? There’s only one that matters: the willingness to produce. The numbers are secondary, which is why I rarely mention them as indicators of success. What is our influence in the French audiovisual industry? We are good, even excellent, at execution, but we don’t represent anything (yet?) in terms of audience or creators from a French perspective. And that’s OK!
The real question is: do we have control over our stories, from conception to distribution? With “Bandi,” the answer is no. But that’s all the better if the series marks another step in that direction. - Karukerament, episode on Bandi, what can we criticize ?
It’s all a matter of perspective. It’s up to us to decide how to leverage the positive outcomes of this Netflix venture. Indeed, our position as the number one in the Caribbean and South America can serve as a marketing argument for the existence of a Caribbean market that is just waiting to be developed—to build an ecosystem that we control… Of course, we would need to have at least a working knowledge of English and Spanish, be proactive in connecting with a multilingual audience, and demonstrate that telling our stories through our own lens is something we care deeply about. Ultimately, this is FIRST AND FOREMOST a matter of will.